Deuteronomy 20:10-15

10 "When you draw near to a city to fight against it, ¹offer terms of peace to it.

11 And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.

12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

13 And when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, ²you shall put all its males to the sword,

14 ³but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you ⁴shall take as plunder for yourselves. And ⁵you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.

Deuteronomy 20:10-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 20

In this chapter rules are given to be observed in times of war. When a battle was near, a priest was to address the soldiers, and encourage them to fight, De 20:1-4, then the officers were to declare who might return home, De 20:5-9 when an enemy's city was approached, peace was to be proclaimed on certain conditions, which, if accepted of, the inhabitants were to be tributaries and servants, but if not, when taken, all were to be put to the sword, excepting women, children, and cattle, De 20:10-15, but those of the seven nations were to be utterly destroyed, De 20:16-18, and, during a siege, no trees bearing fruit fit for food were to be cut down, De 20:19.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 21:13; [Deuteronomy 2:26; 2 Samuel 20:18, 20]
• 2. Numbers 31:7
• 3. Numbers 31:9
• 4. Joshua 8:2
• 5. Joshua 22:8